The 2023 WPIAL football season is nearly upon us! Over the next few weeks we will be previewing all 17 conferences in preparation for kickoff on August 25. We are also thrilled to announce that the WPIAL Blitz Show will be back on the YouTube airwaves this season. Subscribe to the Sports Stream Premium channel with new shows dropping each Tuesday during the season!
This year, our WPIAL coverage is proudly presented by GoMVB Sports and Sports Solutions Marketing. High school athletes should check out GoMVB Sports – SSM for tips on how to beef up their social media presence to attract college coaches and college recruiters. The Sports Solutions network provides pay per view hosting and broadcasting for high school sporting events. More information is available via EasternPAFootball.com.
The playoff format in 2A is straightforward. Five teams from the Allegheny and Midwestern conferences make the playoffs while four teams from the Century qualify for the postseason. Beaver Falls has been one of the dominant teams in the classification since moving down from 3A. The Tigers have reached three straight WPIAL Championship Games and are again the team to beat. The middle of the conference should be very competitive with a pass-happy Mohawk team, a massive line for Neshannock, returning stars for Western Beaver and Riverside, along with an improving young core at Ellwood City.
Be sure to keep tabs on our WPIAL Standings Page throughout the season and follow our WPIAL Twitter account @WPIAL_Blitz. Teams are listed in their predicted order of finish.
Beaver Falls
Since moving down to 2A in 2020, Beaver Falls has appeared in the WPIAL Championship Game every season. The Tigers lost the last two, falling to teams from the Allegheny Conference both times (Serra and Steel Valley). Last season, Beaver Falls split games against 4A county rivals Blackhawk and Beaver. From there, the Tigers went on a tear where they won every game by 20+ and scored at least 42 points in 8 of the next 10 games. That run carried them through the semifinals but they came up short again in the Championship Game. The Tigers will need to find a new quarterback this season, but after having 6 different players run for over 200 yards, they will have plenty of returning talent in the backfield. Brixx Rawl (497 yards, 5 TDs), Drey Hall (371 yards, 6 TDs), Datalian Beauford (301 yards, 4 TDs), and Michael Blackshear (248 yards, 2 TDs) all return for the Tigers. On the outside, second-leading receiver Da’Sean Anderson (360 receiving yards, 137 rushing yards, 6 total TDs) also returns. Beaver Falls is loaded with players capable of making big plays with the ball and should be able to ground and pound their way to another conference title and potentially another deep playoff run.
Mohawk
In mid-August 2022, it looked like Mohawk’s season was in question as a hazing investigation caused the team to cancel its first few games. After losing their first two games, the Warriors turned it around by winning 4 of their next 5 games. That was enough to get them into the playoffs for the second straight season. Senior QB Jay Wrona threw for 1029 yards and 13 TDs last season and returns his leading receiver. Bobby Fadden was just a freshman last year but accounted for 462 yards and 7 TDs. Dante Retort (268 yards, 2 TDs) and TE Jimmy Guerrieri (163 yards, 6 TDs) both return to give Wrona additional targets. Justin Boston (402 yards, 6 TDs) and Sam List (305 yards, 3 TDs) will be back to anchor the ground game. With all of their major skill position players returning, Mohawk has the opportunity to put together a historic season. The Warriors have only won 3 playoff games in school history and never been deeper than the quarterfinals.
Western Beaver
The Golden Beavers ran out to a 7-1 start last season and were one of the hottest teams in AA with their only loss coming against Neshannock. The opportunity was in front of them to make a run at the conference title. Instead, they dropped their final two games to Mohawk and Beaver Falls before losing to Ligonier Valley in the opening round of the playoffs. Western Beaver should have some pop in their backfield this season. Leading rusher Tyson Florence (1109 yards, 16 TDs) and third-leading rusher Deondre Robinson (126 yards, 1 TD) return for their senior seasons after both averaged over 8 yards per carry. Leading receiver Dorian McGhee (563 yards, 7 TDs) returns along with Mikey Crawford (238 yards, 3 TDs) and Levi Gray (223 yards, 2 TDs). If Western Beaver can find a quarterback, the talent will be there around him to make another playoff push.
Riverside
The Panthers had an up-and-down 2022 season. After losing the opener by just a point, they won 3 in a row to get back on track. But the meat of their schedule contained some of the top teams in the conference and Riverside dropped all three outings. They were able to salvage their season with wins over New Brighton and rivals Ellwood City to clinch a playoff spot. Sophomore Ayden Garcia threw a touchdown pass and ran for 3 more in backup duty last season and figures to take the helm. He will return leading rusher Robert Janis (916 yards, 11 TDs). Top receivers Brady Newman (436 yards, 2 TDs) and Zachary Hare (271 yards, 3 TDs) return for a Riverside team that should be right in the mix for the playoffs once again.
Neshannock
The Lancers are coming off one of the best seasons in school history. They went 11-2 with their only losses coming to the two teams who played in the WPIAL Championship – Beaver Falls and Steel Valley. The later defeat came in the semifinals in a game where a late touchdown made the margin seem greater than it was. Neshannock saw a lot of starters graduate, including their top five rushers and top two receivers. The good news for the Lancers is they return a lot of starters up front and should be able to dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Dom Cubellis (125 yards, 1 TD) and Braden Montgomery (109 yards, 1 TD) are both rising juniors and the top returning receivers. Senior RB Patrick Argiro averaged 13 yards per carry but only saw a handful of touches. Sophomore QB Jino Mozzocio saw a little bit of time in backup duty last year and could take on the starting role. Fellow rising sophomore Anthony Eskin could see his workload increase in the backfield as the top returning rusher. Neshannock will need contributions from a lot of young players this season in order to stay in the hunt for the playoffs.
Ellwood City
The Wolverines won just two games last year, but they were incredibly meaningful victories. Their Week 2 win over Blackhawk snapped a 27-game losing streak and was their first win since 2018. In Week 6 they ended a 26-game conference losing streak that also dated back to 2018. Ellwood City has not made the playoffs since 2011, the second longest active streak in the WPIAL. The Wolverines are a very young team that is building for the future but signs of hope are there. Chris Smiley (940 yards, 5 TDs) started at quarterback as a sophomore and returns leading receiver Michael Walters (256 yards, 2 TDs). Junior RB Elijah Palmer-McCane ran for 1156 yards and 12 TDs. Second-leading rusher Dayntae Pierce (239 yards, 2 TDs) also returns. In order to contend for a playoff spot in the tough Midwestern Conference, Ellwood City will need to improve defensively after allowing 28 points per game.
Freedom
The Bulldogs have missed the playoffs in three straight seasons and been through some tumultuous times with multiple head coaches. Last year they bookended their conference schedule with wins over Ellwood City and New Brighton, but lost all the other games in between. While their defense was solid, the offense struggled to score and averaged just 18 points per game. Ty Schultheis threw for 791 yards and 5 TDs last season and returns his top two receivers. Senior Cody Patterson (231 yards, 4 TDs) and junior Dekota Roberts (230 yards, 2 TDs) both averaged about 19 yards per catch last seson. Tyler Welsh (286 yards, 3 TDs) will take on the lead back role after averaging 5.8 yards per carry.
New Brighton
The Lions had a forgetful 0-10 season where they struggled mightily on both sides of the ball. Before their winless campaign, New Brighton had made the playoffs in 3 of the 4 years prior. Last season they did not manage to score 14 points in any game and averaged just 7 per game. Defensively, they gave up 48 per game with 6 teams dropping more than 50 on them. The closest New Brighton came to victory was an 18-13 loss to Ellwood City. Injuries and graduations forced a lot of young players into the lineup last season. Senior QB Brian Taylor Jr returns along with leading rusher Nyzier Humphries. New Brighton will lean on the experience the young players gained last season in the hopes it propels them forward this year.
